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Bugaboo Cameleon RSS
The higher spec of the two bugaboo models. As well as the many practical features, the wide choice of mix and match colours means you can personalise the look of your pushchair!
One to consider
When you want ultimate flexibility and manoeuvrability
Expert review
The Bugaboo prams are somewhat of a phenomenon. Three years ago they were an unknown brand and now it’s hard to walk down a high street without seeing one. They have quickly become the ‘in’ pram and a lot of people put their popularity down to ‘fashion’. Their quick rise to fame has also been helped by a large amount of celebrity endorsement. That being said, if it were purely a fashion thing, the success story would be over soon and I doubt that this will be the case with the Bugaboos. As well as being fashionable, they are well thought out, well put together pushchairs that offer ultimate flexibility, outstanding manoeuvrability and great durability.
They don’t come cheap – The Cameleon is £599 and the Gecko sister model is £469.
That being said, if you were to piece together components of other models of pushchair, to try and form something that offered the same features as the Cameleon, you'd probably end up paying the same or more. This stroller is both a pram and a pushchair. It can handle city living, off road habitats and holidays by the beach or on the ski slopes! It's well built, and, unlike many models that are good for nothing after a year or two’s constant use, the Bugaboos should run the course whether that be two or even three kids, providing they are looked after.
The Bugaboo Cameleon will adapt to yours and your child's needs, depending on your lifestyle, the environment, or the season. With its swivel wheels in front, the Bugaboo Cameleon is very easy to manoeuvre - ideal for busy cities and shops. A flick of the handle (until the new 2008 model this was not as easy as on the Gecko or its predecessor The Frog because the handle height adjusters get in the way) puts the large wheels in front which then eliminates the hard work when walking over rougher terrain. On the beach or in the snow, it's a breeze to drag the Bugaboo Cameleon thanks it its unique two-wheel position.
It has superb suspension which can be adjusted as the child gets heavier and makes for a smooth ride and a pushchair that glides and barely needs to be pushed. This is also aided by the two larger pneumatic wheels. It also boasts a height-adjustable handlebar, a pushchair seat that can face both ways, ie the direction of travel or the person pushing and a chassis that will accommodate a full size Carrycot, the Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix Car Seat and a pushchair seat from about 6 months.
The defining feature of the Cameleon model is the fact that you can truly personalise the appearance of the stroller due to the many colour combinations. Choose a base colour from one of four (charcoal, blue, sand or red) then choose up to 13 coordinating fabric covers that make up the hood, apron and seat cover. Should you choose pink for a girl this time, when it comes to the next time round , it is easy and not too expensive (around £70) to swap for blue, green, red, yellow, orange, sand, black, chocolate or off-white should you wish. Some choose to buy more than one fabric straight off so that they can change the look of their pram as often as the mood takes them! The fabrics are easy to remove and wash and replace.
As well as all the more obvious features, this pushchair also scores highly in safety - the brake system is definitely one of the best we've seen on a stroller and, what’s more, because it is operated from the handle bar, ladies wearing open toe sandals in the summer do not have to break any toes (or damage painted nails!) to release the brake! Even the storage has been taken into account - once you are finished with the Carrycot part of the pram (around 6 months) instead of having a large, hard bodied Carrycot to store, you simply take the Carrycot fabric off the pushchair frame and fold it up and store it in a drawer or under a bed and then use the same frame to form the seat which sees your child through to 4 years.
There are some down sides of course as there are with any model of pushchair, however with the Bugaboos, I would say that the upsides more than compensate for the downsides. The design of the pram means that it can not be folded in one piece, so whether you have a carrycot, car seat or stroller seat in place, these need to be removed first in order to fold the chassis. This is something you get used to, but is a turn off for some and makes getting on a crowded bus, almost impossible if you don’t have another adult travelling with you. Despite being suitable for most terrains and most activities, it is not a pushchair to jog with. With all its enhanced features, the Cameleon is quite a bit heavier than its sister model the Gecko which is a less fancy version but still a damn good pushchair. The 'quick release' wheels now feature 'non-puncture' tyres which, without stating the obvious, remove the worry of what do to when the tyres go flat!
All in all, if you can afford this, it is a pram most definitely worth checking out and considering what people sell them for second hand on e-bay, you can look at it as somewhat of an investment!
What the Cameleon has that the Gecko does not:
- the pushchair seat can also be used as a seat on the ground.
- the Carrycot has been approved for use for overnight sleeping
- the handle bar is height adjustable and consequently in its lowest position, when folded the Cameleon is more compact and will even fit in the boot of a Mini.
- you can adjust the wheel suspension as the child gets heavier / or to suit the terrain
- the seat / Carrycot sit higher on the wheels which means it is easier to access the shopping basket
-the seat / Carrycot frame is 2 inches longer so will accommodate a longer baby / taller child
-Larger, higher sun canopy means you will be able to continue to use the hood for longer (it will need to be removed as the child grows too tall).
- Larger under seat stroller bag for storage.
- Carrying handle on the Carrycot and seat unit for attaching toys to and easier portability
- A large variety of colour / fabric combinations to suit your taste
- base fabric is machine-washable 1000-denier nylon
- Tailored trim fabric is machine-washable made of super-soft fleece
THE LOW-DOWN
How Practical? - A very practical main pushchair, great in town, fantastic on rough terrain especially thanks to adjustable wheel suspension and terribly easy to manoeuvre
Defining features - Quality, mobility, appearance; in essence: design, form and function!
Who is it for?- For people wanting to push the Rolls-Royce of prams
Car boot size – Medium to large
Upsides – All the defining features (too many to relist)
Downsides – Not as compact as some and not possible to fold in one piece. Not great for using on a busy bus (but then again, not many pushchairs are), not suitable for jogging
Budget - £599 expensive but worth it
What is included in the price – The Bugaboo Cameleon comes complete with a Carrycot / pushchair frame with accommodating Carrycot and stroller seat fabrics, Aerosleep mattress, underseat shopping bag, pushchair hood, rain cover, mosquito net, DVD and User Guide and a free ‘maintenance kit’ which includes pump, lubricant etc
Optional accessories – Fleece lined foot muff (choose coordinating or contrasting colour), cabriofix car seat adaptors, transport Bag, breezy sun canopy and sunshade, parasol, diaper bag, cup holder and Wheeled Board
Fact File
Top> Title: Bugaboo Cameleon
> Brand:
> RRP: £530
> Age group: From Birth
> Weight: 9 kg
> Car seat compatible: Yes
> Carrycot compatible: Yes
> Width closed: 50 cm
> Height closed: 30.5 cm
> Length closed: 184 cm
> Width open: 60 cm
> Height open: 113 cm
> Length open: 191.5 cm
> Wheel size:
> Terrain: City Off Road Sand Parks Urban
> Extending handles: Yes
> Extending range: 97-113 cm
> Boot size: Family
> Facing parent: Parent and forward facing
> Raincover included: Yes
> Separate chassis: Yes
> Genuine lie-flat: Yes
> Travel: Yes
I bought a Bugaboo Chameleon 6 months ago from John Lewis (Oxford Street). After 2 months the right hand handle screw fell out so I replaced it. The tension in the telescopic handle slowly reduced. Two weeks ago the left hand screw fell out so I decided to take the whole pram back to John Lewis to complain. Whilst explaining my issues to the customer serviced assistant he quickly pulled out of his draw a bag of replacement screws. He called it the "screw fix" and said they were aware of the problem and that it was a design fault. I rejected the quick fix get out solution and insisted on a replacement frame. I left the frame there to be sent back to Bugaboo and they provided me with a loan frame. Yesterday I had a call to say my frame was ready to collect so I went in this morning to pick it up. My old frame was produced with replacement screws. I again rejected the frame and the assistant agreed to give me a new design frame with the rivets which they had in stock. If you have the same issues as me I would insist on a replacement new design frame NOT the bag of screws. John Lewis customer service was 100%.